Thousands of people filled Lower Manhattan in and around City Hall to witness Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT-I) ceremonially swear in Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Jan. 1st. WBAI Pacifica Radio produced a LIVE five hour broadcast from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. that documented the day’s historical events.
“I stand alongside over one million New Yorkers who voted for this day nearly two months ago and I stand just as resolutely alongside those who did not. I know there are some who view this administration with distrust or disdain, or who see politics as permanently broken. And while only action can change minds, I promise you this: if you are a New Yorker, I am your Mayor,” Mamdani told the massive crowd. “Regardless of whether we agree, I will protect you, celebrate with you, mourn alongside you, and never, not for a second, hide from you.”
He continued. “I thank the labor and movement leaders here today, the activists and elected officials who will return to fighting for New Yorkers the second this ceremony concludes, and the performers who have gifted us with their talent.”
In a conciliatory gesture he referenced the outgoing Mayor Adams as “a son of Brownsville who rose from washing dishes to the highest position in our city for being here as well. He and I have had our share of disagreements, but I will always be touched that he chose me as the Mayoral candidate that he would most want to be trapped with on an elevator.”
Mamdani challenged the status quo by raising the bar for the public’s expectations.
“As we embark upon this work, let us advance a new answer to the question asked of every generation: Who does New York belong to?,” he asked.
“For much of our history, the response from City Hall has been simple: it belongs only to the wealthy and well-connected, those who never strain to capture the attention of those in power,” Mamdani reasoned.
The incoming Mayor told the massive crowd “working people have reckoned with the consequences. Crowded classrooms and public housing developments where the elevators sit out of order; roads littered with potholes and buses that arrive half an hour late, if at all; wages that do not rise and corporations that rip off consumers and employees alike.”
New York City’s 111th Mayor pledged to “transform the culture of City Hall from one of ‘no’ to one of ‘how’? We will answer to all New Yorkers, not to any billionaire or oligarch who thinks they can buy our democracy.”
He committed to not abandon his democratic socialist principles.
“We will govern without shame and insecurity, making no apology for what we believe. I was elected as a Democratic socialist and I will govern as a Democratic socialist. I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical. As the great Senator from Vermont once said: ‘What’s radical is a system which gives so much to so few and denies so many people the basic necessities of life.’”
